Syndicate

Links

Given Value of Weird (Ted Kord-Lexington | G | 374 words): Ted Kord gets the chance to meet Lexington from Gargoyles, and the two bond. This is such a wonderful piece of bite-sized fun! Geeks from different universes getting to meet and geek out with each other is great.

Excerpt:It helps that the small green gargoyle, Lexington, speaks Computer Geek and reminds him a little of Robin. So while a technophile in a loincloth is still a little weird, it's also weirdly familiar.

H.U.N.C.L.E. (Hiro, Ando, Naopoleon/Illya | G | 1,132 words): Hire and Ando accidentally end up on Napoleon and Illya's doorstep. Oh, this whole thing is delightful. Napoleon and Illya in all their retired glory, Hiro and Ando bumbling their way into and out of situations, and just the general fun absurdity that follows these characters around.

Excerpt:"Hiro, those men, I think they're..." Ando trailed off.

"Secret agents?" Hiro prompted.

"No, gay," Ando said, splashing a hand's worth of water at Hiro with a huff of exasperation.

"Oh, maybe! They seem to like each other very much." Hiro said. "But they're definitely secret agents."

Pennsylvania (Gus/Shawn, Dwight, Jim/Pam | PG | 10,184 words): Gus and Shawn get hired to investigate a case at Dunder Mifflin. The weirdness of Shawn and Gus meeting the weirdness of the Dunder Mifflin employees is a thing of beauty. The story is hilarious and snappy, especially once Gus and Shawn get to Pennsylvania. And the Gus/Shawn tension is just perfect! Something that's present and important without being overly melodramatic or angst-ridden. And then the ending! The ending was built up to over the course of the story so wonderfully, and then it happened and it was squeefully delightful.

Excerpt:"My name is Gus," Gus says, dropping their bags at Shawn's feet. "And I am not his sidekick. I am his partner."

"Then why were you carrying his luggage?"

Shawn steeples his fingers together. "My psychic abilities give me a somewhat delicate constitution, due to being so closely connected to the astral plane."

"And he forgot them," Gus says, kicking Shawn's bags closer to him.

Dwight gives Gus a sharp, disapproving look that reminds Gus that they are in some warped kind of service profession. "But that's why I'm here," Gus says, forcing a smile on his face. "I keep Shawn grounded, if you will, in the day-to-day realities of life."

Captain America's Art Crawl Adventure (Steve Rogers, Wendy Watson | G | 2,008 words): Steve attends Art Crawl; of course some monster is going to attack. Oh, this is just delightful and so funny. It had me smiling all the way through because every part of this is just a lot fun. Even the characters who only show up for a few lines shine, and both Wendy and the Middleman's reactions to Steve are perfect and hilarious.

Excerpt:She found Steve with Noser, who was saying, "Benny Goodman, huh? Hey, Wendy Watson, I might have found someone here who can actually stump the band."

"Never happen." She looked at the sketches hanging on the wall. "These yours, Steve?"

The Cinder-Fellow (OMC/OMC | G | 11,171 words): This is a wonderful retelling of the Cinderella story with a male Cinderella named Allen. It's sweet and romantic with a dash of light-hearted whimsy that just makes it a joy to read. It's also a crossover with Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms, but I was able to read and understand the story just fine without any knowledge of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. (Probably if you are familiar with that series though, it will make this story even more delightful.)

Excerpt:The Ella Cinders looked critically at herself in the mirror, and Elena looked critically at her. Under the smudges, which the girl was dabbing at with her moistened sleeves, she was – not exactly beautiful. By no means was she ugly, of course – the Tradition would not have an ugly Ella Cinders – but her nose was a bit sharp, her cheekbones a bit prominent, her chin a bit strong for what was considered beauty anywhere in the Five Hundred Kingdoms.

Then the girl went over to the hedges at the side of the yard, lifted her skirts, and....

"Oh, dear," said Godmother Elena.

"Exactly," said Randolf, returning to the mirror. "As I said, we have a problem."

"You're certainly right about that," murmured Elena. No wonder the Tradition was all riled up! How had Godmother Bella missed this essential fact about this Ella Cinders? And what was she supposed to do with a...with a Cinder-Fellow?

Open House (Addams family, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape | PG13 | 1,967 words): The Addams visit Hogwarts to see if it'd be a suitable school for Wednesday and Pugsley. Oh, the hilarious crack! This is funny and the perfect length so that it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Excerpt:"Leaving a kid's entire educational future up to the whim of a talking hat--brilliant, old man!" he muttered gleefully.

McGonagall set the Sorting Hat on the fuzzy scalp of the boy. The Hat's point shot straight up into the air, and the old brim quivered. In a low, strangled voice the Sorting Hat cried out—

The Waiting Room (Buffy-Death | PG | 1,617 words): Buffy meets Death. There are a lot of stories out there where a character meets Death (either the Sandman version as here or the Discworld one) and they run the emotional gamut. This particular one is on the bittersweet end of the scale because Buffy's still got some fantastic and some terrible things ahead of her. But it's comforting in a way, despite knowing what's coming, because at least Buffy has someone friendly on the other side of it all.

Excerpt:"Hey," [Buffy] says to the girl sitting next to her.

"Hey," says the girl, and smiles. But she doesn't say anything else; she just sits there, staring at Buffy without a hint of rudeness.

Whisper Your Name Into the Sky (Ben Grimm-Matt Murdock | PG13 | 3,537 words): A look at how Ben and Matt might be friends. And it's a really neat, insightful look with Ben's insecurities and Matt's unique perception of Ben. I wouldn't immediately have thought they could be close friends, but this fic deftly shows how they can relate to each other.

Excerpt:Matt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. There was not enough beer in the bar to make this seem like a good idea. Very possibly, not enough beer in the world. "Just to get this straight, you're asking me to feel you--because I'm blind--to see if you feel more attractive than you look. Because you think I know how you look. And you think your blind girlfriend will care."

"You got a problem with that?" Ben asked. "It's not like it's hard."

Matt spread his hands. "Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page." His lips quirked. "The same weird, vaguely inappropriate, apparently Braille page, at that."

Fortunate Voyager (Scott Summers, Logan, Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake, Enterprise ensemble | PG13 | 21,692 words): Scott, Logan, Kitty, and Bobby somehow get transported to Captain Archer's Enterprise. The best part of crossovers is, I think, getting to see a whole slew of interactions between characters who'd never meet in canon. And this is full of chances to see how different characters connect and how they react to totally new situations. Plus, it's got action and adventure.

Excerpt:Scott was frustrated he couldn't do anything to help repair the ship, but one look at the innards of a bulkhead and he knew he was out of his league. He gravitated to sickbay, where he found, to his pleasure, that he could understand some of what went on there.

"Medical technology has evolved," Phlox said as he showed Scott how to use a dermal regenerator, "but the basic principles remain the same. You'll do fine."

Logan was off guarding the prisoners and trading war stories, and Hoshi had taken the kids off to wind down. But Scott couldn't quite relax, so he scanned and set bones and cleaned wounds. Finally, the last patient was healed and either sent to their quarters or bedded down in sickbay. Phlox cleaned his hands, looking pleased, and Scott leaned against a wall, yawning.

"My fiancée was a doctor," he said, staring at the opposite wall with its hypnotic display of twisting and twining DNA strands.

"Oh?"

"She was brilliant, she was learning all about mutations, but she was always ready to stop and put a bandage on one of the kids." His face felt like it was on fire and when he looked over, Phlox was waiting. "Jean would have loved to talk to you about medicine, see your equipment."

Phlox smiled.

Why did he feel the need to talk about her now? Since her death, he'd barely said her name, but there was something freeing about this place where only his three teammates knew her, and the locals didn't feel any guilt over her death.

"I miss Jean so much," he said quietly.

Phlox nodded. "If one of my wives died, I would be saddened. As it is, being without them is the hardest thing about being on the Enterprise."

The Wisdom to Know the Difference (Peter Parker, Hank McCoy, Matt Murdock, Scott Summers | PG13 | 30,308 words | sequel to Office Hours): Hank goes through some changes, and Peter's determined to do something to help him. Seeing these chracters hang out and talk is wonderful, partly because it's not the type of thing that makes for a good movie and therefore isn't shown. But it makes sense for these guys to be friends with each other, and it's enjoyable to read. There were a couple bits that had me cringing in embarrassment for Peter, but those were short and ended while I was anticipating my embarrassment squick getting hit rather than it actually getting hit. And there were so many more times where I found myself laughing out loud.

Excerpt:Peter gave him a head start before following, but even with a throbbing ribcage and aching shoulder slowing him down, he still beat Daredevil to the rooftop. There were some wooden crates and a couple of plastic, five-gallon buckets strewn around, and after making sure there was nothing too gross in it, Peter toed one of the buckets upside down and lowered himself onto it. Daredevil stood, arms folded.

For a moment, Peter just sat there and looked at his lap, listening to the sounds of the city. People shouting, cars driving by, an ambulance, somebody's stereo playing hip-hop at top volume... He looked up when Daredevil snorted softly.

"So. The Daily Bugle's headline tomorrow: Spider-Man Goes Apeshit!" Daredevil gave him a crooked smile. "What do you think?"

"What, about the bastard part? Or being called 'buddy'?" Peter asked. "Jameson thinks we're all in cahoots. I mean, I guess he does," Peter amended hastily, giving himself a mental kick. He was never that careless about his real identity.

Daredevil shrugged and sank down to crouch in front of Peter. "Just the bastards. The other's a little presumptuous, but I don't mind. Much."

More like a lot presumptuous, Peter thought, seeing as they'd only met a month or so ago and had spoken, like, twice. Still, he felt an undeniable sense of kinship with the guy, kind of like he did with Hank. It was pretty cool, knowing he wasn't the only costumed freak in town.

Office Hours (Peter Parker, Hank McCoy | PG13 | 9,936 words | sequel is The Wisdom to Know the Difference): Hank and Peter work together to help a young mutant unable to control her powers. This has a wonderful Hank voice, and it's so much fun to see these two science geeks hang out and bond.

Excerpt:"Hank!" the new guy said. "We--" then he turned, noticed Peter, and cleared his throat. "You're needed at home. Immediately. There's...a family emergency."

Peter saw the alarm on Hank's features and the sudden tension in his shoulders. Hank set his mug down carefully before turning to Peter. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to excuse us, Peter. Should I bring anything?" he asked Sunglasses Guy.

"Yourself," Sunglasses Guy said tersely. "Let's go."

Peter was almost to the door when it hit him. Family emergency, the guy had said. How many times had he used that excuse? And Hank hadn't asked what was wrong or who was sick. He'd asked if he needed to bring anything, which would have been weird...if they were actually talking about a family emergency. Which they weren't.

Without even really thinking about it, he stopped and met Hank's gaze. "Let me come with you. Whatever it is, maybe I can help."

To Conquer Fear (ensemble | G | 2,663 words): Grissom and the Bat clan team up to foil a supervillain plot. Oh, this is just plain fun. And it's in epistolary format!

Excerpt:To: bbb@secure.oracle.netFrom: ggrissom@lvmpd.comSubject: We appreciate the help

Considering that there are already three patrolmen in the hospital under treatment, we appreciate Nightwing's assistance. He's...impressive. At least, Sara certainly seems impressed.

I can assure you we're treating this case as hazmat. We've already had one close call, when the aforementioned new CSI nearly dosed himself while fooling around in the lab. Sometimes I wonder if Greg will ever learn.

Pretty in Pink (Inara/Vir | PG13 | 5,927 words): Inara ends up in the Babylon 5 universe and is found by Vir. I like Inara in this. She's very accepting and serene about the circumstances she finds herself in, and she uses the skills she's honed as a Companion to find out information about this new universe as well as to take care of herself.

Excerpt:"What is your name?" she asked, and he told her he was Vir Cotto, attache to the Centauri Ambasssador. Inara recalled the Centauri had been among the alien races Zack Allen had named, but the extravagant hairstyle aside, young Mr. Cotto looked entirely human. He mentioned something about having been away from the station for a while, visiting his home world, and then, embarrassed, said he probably was keeping her from important things and should be going, now that he had found out she was well. Touched and amused despite her lingering suspicions about the entire situation, Inara shook her head.

"On the contrary. Your visit was the most pleasant thing that happened to me today," she said. Vir Cotto blushed again and gave her a shy smile. That was when she noticed his teeth were slightly longer than those of a human man. It was just a tiny detail, certainly nothing as extravagant as the sight of the reptilian creature earlier, but it was at this moment that Inara thought: This is real. This is all real, not a complicated fake.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series - Japanese Literature (Sohma Shigure) (Shigure, Ouran ensemble | PG13 | 2,252 words): Shigure agrees to give ten guest lectures at Ouran Academy. Oh, this is brilliant because these two series play off each other so well. They're both extremely shoujo series, although Ouran plays with the typical shoujo motifs more. But Shigure's wonderfully over the top just like the Host Club, and it's simply delightful to see them interact.

Excerpt:"I love your love stories!" Tamaki declared, and was glowing from head to toe with almost tangible excitement when the Sohma Shigure-sensei was suddenly led through the doors of his humble little club.

"I love this room!" Shigure replied in like, and sparkled from eyes to ankles when the heir to the Suou fortune greeted him so warmly.

"I love cake!" Honey-senpai announced, just because he felt as if he should say something so cake wouldn't feel lonely or forgotten.

"Truly a respite for the beautiful," Shigure continued without missing a beat, and flipped his hair backwards gloriously.

Why You Don't Do Magic in the Library (ensemble | G | 456 words): The Young Avengers end up in the library of Unseen University. It's fun seeing the Young Avengers interacting with some of Discworld's inhabitants.

Excerpt:The tubby young man who had been introduced to Eli as Ponder Stibbons hand spent the last hour trying to explain just why Billy's teleportation spell had landed them in another dimension as they had hunted for the rest of the team. Rincewind had simplified it to "Books warp reality," and left it at that.

Five Companions (Six, Really) Who Never Gave Ten Heartburn (Well, Hardly Ever) (ensemble | G | 500 words): Several different takes on how the tenth Doctor would interact with his various companions, all of them fun. My personal favorite is Cissie and Greta because I would love to watch that if it were the actual show. (The actual show's pretty dang good too, but it'd be even more awesome with those two.)

Excerpt:"A time machine? That's so cool! I wish Robin were here, he'd think it was cool. Can I visit my grandfather?" Bart asked, racing around the blue box fast enough to create a mini-tornado.

The Doctor unlocked the door with more force than absolutely necessary. "No."

The Missing Chapter (ensemble | PG | 714 words): What if the mystery in The Picnic at Hanging Rock had a more supernatural explanation? Even though I didn't like the original book very much, I enjoyed this. An interesting idea that doesn't outstay its welcome and explains things fairly neatly. Or, if you've never read Picnic at Hanging Rock, it's a nice story of an original slayer.

House and Family (ensemble | PG13 | 4,364 words): Morticia Addams comes to House with the symptom of smoking from her head. The Addams are so cheerfully macabre that I can't help but love watching House interact with them.

Excerpt:Once more the pinstriped man spoke up, moving over to the whiteboard and wiping clean the diagnosis there. House glared at him, tugging the eraser out of his hand. The other man grinned, taking no offense.

"Come on old man, Lisa said you were the best—if anyone can figure out why Tish is smoking more than usual it's you."

"Lisa? You mean Doctor Cuddy? Who the hell ARE you people?" House managed, "The Von Crap family?"

"Good one! No, The Von Craps are vacationing in Tia Carumba this month. Gomez Addams, and this is the rest of my crowd—Fester, Pugsley and Wednesday, and the big fellow's Lurch."

"Great. Get out," House snarled. Gomez flashed his white teeth once more. Wednesday and Pugsley darted over to the whiteboard and began a complicated game of hangman.